A psychologist investigated the effect of practice distribution on skill acquisition. Participants were tasked with learning how to assemble a complex 3D mechanical puzzle. Six participants studied the assembly layout using spaced practice (which included three short breaks). A different group of six participants studied the layout using massed practice (continuous study without breaks).
Afterwards, all participants were tested, and their puzzle-assembly accuracy was scored out of 50. The data collected, along with preliminary rankings, is presented in the table below.
| Accuracy score on puzzle assembly (max. 50) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spaced practice group | Massed practice group | ||||
| Participant | Score | Rank | Participant | Score | Rank |
| a | 42 | 9.5 | a | 26 | 2 |
| b | 45 | 11 | b | 28 | 3 |
| c | 38 | 6 | c | 22 | 1 |
| d | 37 | 5 | d | 49 | 12 |
| e | 41 | 8 | e | 30 | 4 |
| f | 40 | 7 | f | 42 | 9.5 |
| n1=6n_1 = 6n1=6 | n2=6n_2 = 6n2=6 |
Outline two ways that using an independent measures design could affect the validity of this study.
644 exam-style questions on OCR A Level Psychology Research methods and techniques. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.